Flexible shafting.



A. S. REED. FLEXIBLE SHAFTING. APPLICATION rum) 001224, 1911.

I 1 ,100;O9-7. Patented June 16, 1914-.

" (Emma W044 v ewwmom AMhuvSRccd To all whom it may concern:

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assreuoa r seems a R103 RAPIDS, IICHIGAN.

rarefied June Be it known that I ARTHUR S. Run), a

I citizen of the United 'tates of America, re-

siding at Grand Rapids,

in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have inven certain new and useful Improvements in a shaftwhich may may be easily and quickly assembled and disassembled for re air or other purposes, and to provide the evice with various new and useful features hereinafter more fully described and particularly. pointed out in the claim reference bein had to the accompanying drawings, in w "ch Fi ure 1 is a view ble s aft embodying my invention shown m elevation with parts broken away to disclose the interior construction; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail partially in elevation and partially in section of a portion of theshaft proper removed from the casin Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view o link members of the shaft; and Fig. 4 is enlarged perspective view of one of connecting members.

an the Like numbers refer to likeparts in all of the figures.

1 represents the inclosed within a flexible tube 2 preferably made of close spirall wound spring wire which is surrounded y a casin 3 prefert 1 rotates i within the casing and accommodates itself to the various curves 111 which the casing maf; be bent.

The shaft 1 comprises link members 4.

each of which consists f aibody provided j at each end with a pair of open aws 5 each in a plane at ri ht pair being arranged other pair. he

an les to the plane of the lin 4 are connected in series b 7. These connectors are prefera 1y globular and rovided with transversely disposed circum erential rooves v8 which receive the jaws 5 of the ink members. The tips {i of tips enough to allow the of a portion of a flexione of theshaft proper which isconnec-tors z the jaws-5 are slightly contracted or turned inward toward each other to engage the neck at the base of the grooves 8, and retain the jaws in the grooves, 6 being smaller neck. In order to assemble or se arate these members at pleasure diametric ly opposed flat spots 9 are-provided at the intersections of the grooves 8 and the diameter of the neck between these spots is thus reduced tips 6'of the jaws 5 to pass over these flat spots. It is necessary, however, to turn each link at right angles to the axis of the shaft while assemblingthe up and inclosed within ossible to bend the easof the coupling member, so that a longitu dinal expansibility is thus provided sothat when the shaft is bent and thus slightly elon ated at the curves pansibility of the shaft will permit it to rotate freely and prevent it from binding.

It will be noticed that this construction provides a very flexible shaft which will run smoothly when bent in a curve of the shortest radius to which an ordinary casing will conform and'the shaft after being removed from the casing may be easily taken apart at any point to replace broken or worn members or for other purposes. The casing surrounding the shaft may be filled with lubricating grease to reducev the friction to a minimum if preferred.

What I claim is A flexible shaft com rising link members each composed of a b y'portion and a pair of 'aws ateach end of the body ortion wit each pair of jaws formed ali e and arranged at right angles one pair with relation to the other, the inner faces of each air of jaws being parallel and the extremities of each pair of jaws being turned inwardly and terminating in relatively sharp tips, and ball connectors provided with circumferential grooves arrangedat right anthe distance between the than the diameter of the j 1 links to form the shaft and after the shaft this longitudinal ex? an ang e that the shaft may be.

space between the jaws jaws having opposing parallel surfaces slidably embracing the neck gles to receive the jaws and having diametare detachably connected to the ball conrically opposed flattened spots at the internectors.

section of the grooves so that the inturned In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 10 tips and the opposed parallel surfaces of in presence of two Witnesses. 5 the jaws may slide on said flattened spots ARTHUR S. REED.

in a direction at right angles to the axis of Witnesses:

the shaft and then turned into alinement HAROLD O. VAN ANTWERP,

with the axis of the shaft whereby the links LUTHER V. "Mom-TON. 

